The Atlantic (Gift Article): Trump’s Fundamental Misunderstanding in Iran. “One of the U.S. government’s recurring mistakes about Iran has been to conflate the country’s national interests with regime interests. The two are in many ways opposites. What benefits the Iranian people—global economic reintegration, diplomatic recognition, investment, normalcy—threatens a regime that operates an extensive mafia and thrives in isolation. The carrots that America offers the nation are sticks to the men who rule it. And the sticks that America wields against the regime—isolation, conflict, and chaos—are carrots to men whose power depends on all three.”

Via Malcom Nance: “The ceasefire will be based on Iran’s 10-point plan. They will most likely get most, if not all, of these points.

The world has now breathed a sigh of relief that common sense was taking hold. But to those of us in the intelligence community, it’s pretty clear. This may have been a singularly epic defeat in the history of the United States. Some people say it’s America’s “Suez crisis”. That was Britain and France’s attempt to seize control of the Suez Canal from Egypt in 1956. That crisis ended when a superpower intervened and put an end to the adventure. This version of it could best be called “Self-own Suez”.

This is where the adventure is started by a superpower, lost by a superpower, and makes its avowed enemy an economic superpower.”